Wheelchair standing bar apparatus



1968 F WOLFE 3,405,954

WHEELCHAIR STANDING BAR APPARATUS Filed July 11, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' I EZRA E WZQ- E W Ar rag/vars Oct. 15, 1968 F. WOLFE WHEELCHAIR STANDING BAR APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 11, 1966 'INVENTOR. E Wo4 FE Arraexvzrs United States Patent 3,405,954 WHEELCHAIR STANDING BAR APPARATUS Ezra F. Wolfe, 583 Walnut Ave, Long Beach, Calif. 9&9313 Filed July 11, 1966, Ser. No. 564,225 6 Claims. (Cl. 280289) ABSTRACT 9F THE DISCLOSURE Standing bar apparatus for attachment to a wheelchair and affording the user a means for raising himself out of the wheelchair in a supported, therapeutically advantageous standing position.

This invent-ion relates to standing bars for the support of paraplegic individuals. More particularly, the invention relates to a combined Wheelchair and standing bar having particular therapeutic advantages which will be hereinafter explained.

In order for paraplegic persons to stand in an upright position, some supporting means is necessary. Such means as walkers, which are suitable for persons having limited but usable muscular strength and control of their lower limbs, can not be used by paraplegics, who are paralyzed in their lower extremities and therefore have no control of them. Paraplegics, however, retain full use of their upper extremities, and if their feet and knees are suitably restrained, can use their hands and arms to pull themselves to a standing position. Any means of support for standing to be used by a paraple ic, therefore, must be immobile with respect to the paraplegic so that it will not give way when he pulls upon it.

A preferred means of support for paraplegics is the so-called standing bar, which consists of a rigid framework to which is attached a pair of grip bars, one on either side of the person at just below waist height. Transversely of the grip bars and below them, a kneeboard is attached to the framework, against which the kriees of the paraplegic are braced while he holds himself in a standing position by means of the grip bars. When a strap or belt anchored to the framework is then drawn snugly in back of the buttocks, the paraplegic is able to stand with his hands free for work, his knee and hip joints prevented from folding by the restraint of the kneeboard and hip strap. The standing bar, its evolution and its advantages, have been discussed in an article by Nyquist, Jahn, Sheridan and Bors in the Journal of the Association for Physical and Mental Rehabilitation, volume XV, No. 1 January/February 1961, pp. 35.

According to the present invention, there is provided a standing bar for attachment to a wheelchair. By means of the invention, a paraplegic person is able to raise himself from a sitting position in the chair to standing position with his knees and hips extended, for working at a bench, or for reading or speaking at a lectern. The standing bar attachment according to the invention is provided with its own wheeled base, so that, when attached to the wheelchair, it is mobile a a unit with the chair, yet it may be readily detached and folded or wheeled out of the way.

With the present invention, the occupant is not only able to stand while working, which is in itself beneficial to bladder function, inhibiting to osteoporosis, and of great value in other ways, but additionally, in order to move to another point of work, he must lower himself into the chair, propel himself to the new location, and pull himself up to a standing position again. Thus, in moving from location to location, the occupant must repeatedly stand up and sit down, which provides valuable exercise and is beneficial to the circulation, since it is undesirable for him to remain in one position for too long a period of time.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved standing bar which may be combined with a wheelchair.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a standing bar attachment which may be affixed to a wheelchair for use in combination therewith.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a standing bar which can be removably attached to a wheelchair and which can be folded for convenience in transportation and storage.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the ensuing description of the device and from the appended drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing a standing bar attached to a conventional tubular frame Wheelchair, in accordance with the invention, the crutch-like arm supports being omitted from the remaining views, except for the detail showing of FIGURE 12;

FIGURE 2 shows a plan view of the standing bar and wheelchair depicted in FIGURE 1;

b FIGURE 3 shows a front elevation of the standing FIGURE 4 shows a front elevation of the standing bar folded for transportation or storage;

FIGURE 5 shows a perspective view of the swivel fitting of a grip bar, taken in the direction 5-5 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 6 shows a cross section of the swivel fitting shown in FIGURE 5, taken along the line 66;

FIGURE 7 shows an enlarged perspective view of the means by which the standing bar is attached to the wheelchair;

FIGURE 8 shows a cross section taken along the line 88 of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 shows a cross section taken along the line 9-9 in FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 10 shows a cross section taken along the line 1 -1tl in FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 11 is a view taken along line 77 of FIG- URE 1; and

FIGURE 12 is a detail view of one of the crutch-like arm supports adapted for mounting to the present standing bar, as illustrated in FIGURE 1.

Referring to the drawings, in FIGURE 1 there is shown a conventional, tubular frame wheelchair 10 which is provided with a fabric seat 11 slung between upper frame rails 12. The frame of the chair is also provided with lower frame rails 13, the rails 12 and 13 at each side of the chair being connected to a post assembly 14 at the forward end of the chair. As seen in FIGURES 1 and 9, the post assembly 14 consists of a lower tubular member 15 welded to the lower frame rail 13, a vertical socket fitting 16, and an upper tubular member 17 welded to the upper frame rail 12. The vertical socket fitting 16 will be seen in FIGURE 10 to be of unitary construction and bi-lobed in cross section. Members 15 and 17, and one lobe of fitting 16, are aligned vertically as shown in FIGURES 7 and 9, and are secured in alignment by a pin 18 dropped through them. While the post assembly 14, for manufacturing convenience, is shown as being made up of separate members, it could as well be of unitary construction.

At each side of the wheelchair there is provided a forwardly and downwardly slopping leg rail 19, welded near its midpoint to the adjacent lower frame rail 13 and provided with a foot pedal 19a,'which can be folded upwardly to the position shown in order to permit greater ease of entry and exit by the occupant. The upper end of each leg rail 19 is welded to the adjacent upper tubular member 17 of the corresponding post assembly 14.

The standing bar is constructed upon a pair of base rails 20 and 21 which support a platform 22. Each of the base rails is provided with a ledge 23 made of a metal angle section, upon which the platform rests, as shown. The platform is afiixed to a pair of hinges 24 mounted upon the base rail 26, and may be swung upwardly, to one side, when the standing bar is folded. The platform 22 is provided with heel straps 25 and too straps 26. Each end of the base rails 20 and 21 is provided with a caster 27, and as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, an additional caster 28 is positioned under the center of the rear edge of the platform 22, where most of the weight of a standing occupant will be concentrated. A notch 29 is provided in one side edge of the platform for clearance of certain other structure of the standing bar, when folded, as will presently be apparent.

Welded to each of the base rails 20 and 21 is a forward stanchion 30, extending upwardly to within a few inches of the waist height of the occupant when standing on the platform 22. Each stanchion 30 includes vertically telescopable upper and lower sections 30a and 30b which are fixed in the desired one of a number of vertically extended positions by a nut and bolt assembly 31a passing through suitable openings in the two sections. At the upper end of each upper section 30a there is pivotally mounted a swivel fitting 31 to which is secured one of a pair of grip bars 32. As shown in FIGURES 5 and 6, each of the swivel fittings 31 is provided with an arcuate slot 33. Threaded into each of the upper sections 30a is a screw 34, securing the fittings 31 against displacement from the stanchions. The slots 33 are of opposite hand with respect to each other, so that, as shown in FIG- URE 2, either of the grip bars 32 may be swung inwardly of the standing bar, permitting the occupant to enter or leave from either side.

The forward stanchions 30 are braced laterally by means of a pair of cross braces 35 secured at their lower ends to the lower stanchion sections 30b by means of a pair of pivots 36. The cross braces 35 are fastened together at their midpoints by means of a pivot 37, and are secured at their upper ends to the lower stanchion 30b by means such as wing screws 38.

The rear portion of each grip bar 32, near the end closest to the wheelchair, is further supported by an after stanchion 40. Each of the after stanchions includes vertically telescopable upper and lower sections 40a and 40b which are fixed in the desired one of a number of vertically extended positions by a nut and bolt assembly 41a passing through suitable openings in the two sections.

Each upper section 40a is provided at its upper end with a loop fitting 41 which slidably encircles a grip bar 32, so that the bar rests upon and is supported by the stanchion.

As seen in FIGURES 7 and 9, each of the lower sections 40b is tubular and has a longitudinal slot 42 cut through the wall of the tube at its lower end. Within the tube there is disposed a slidable pin 43 having means such as a thumbscrew 44 threaded therein and extending through the slot 42, so that the pin may be raised and lowered by means of the thumbscrew. The lower end of each section 4% rests upon the vertical socket fitting 16 which, as shown in FIGURE 10, has a socket 46 in one lobe, offset from the axis of the pin 18 and the post assembly 14. When the after stanchions 40 are in place, they are secured against lateral displacement from the fittings 16 by the slidable pins 43, which are inserted in the socket 46, and are each prevented from accidental raising by means of a spring detent at the lower end of each slidable pin 43.

The telescopable arrangement of the stanchions 30 and 40 allows the grip bars 32 to be raised and lowered to accommodate individuals of various heights.

A padded kneeboard 50 is located approximately midway between the upper and lower ends of the stanchions, and is pivotally secured at one end to a pivot 51 carried by a bracket on one of the forward stanchion sections 39b. At the opposite end the kneeboard 50 is removably fastened to the other forward section 3% by means such as a wing screw assembly 52. carried by a bracket on the section 36b. An adjustable hip strap 55 is attached near the upper end of one of the upper stanchion sections 39a by means of a suitable anchor fitting S6. The opposite end of the hip strap is attached to the other stanchion section 3% by means of a buckle 5'7 which is adjustable so that the strap may be tightened or released entirely.

A tubular strut 69 extends horizontally from the lower extremity of each of the lower stanchion sections 3011 to the column members 15 at each side of the wheelchair. A loop fitting 61 is attached to one end of the strut and secures it to the stanchion 30. As seen in FIGURE 8, a dowel member 62 is welded into, and extends from, the other end of the strut 60. A horizontal socket fitting 65 is clamped about the lower tubular member 15 at each side of the chair. As shown in FIGURES 4 and 8, the socket fitting 65 incorporates a clamp 66 which encircles the tubular member 15. A socket 67 is welded to the clamp 66 and when the dowel member 62 is inserted in the socket 67, it is secured against accidental displacement by means of the spring detent 68.

The standing bar may be separated from the wheelchair by first lifting the pins 43 out of the socket 46 by means of the thumbscrews 44, sliding the after stanchions 40 along the grip bars to a position adjacent the forward stanchions 30, then pulling the connecting struts 60 free of the fittings 65. The standing bar may be reattached to the wheelchair by following the reverse procedure.

With the standing bar connected to the wheelchair, the occupant is provided with clear sideward access by simply detaching the after stanchions and swinging either parallel bar inwardly, as shown in FIGURE 2. In order to clear the frame of the wheelchair for this purpose, the after stanchion fitting 41 is slid along the parallel bar, as shown in FIGURE 2.

Wheelchairs of the type depicted in the drawings are usually equipped with removabl armrests. In FIGURE 1, wheelchair 10 is shown without the armrests. The sockets 46 of fittings 16, which would otherwise be used to support the forward ends of the armrests, provide a convenient means by which the after stanchions 40 of the standing bar may be detachably secured to the wheelchair.

In the use of the standing bar, the occupant, seated in the wheelchair behind the standing bar, places his toes in the toe straps 26 and his heels in the heel straps 25, then pulls himself to a standing position by means of the grip bars, his knees braced against the kneeboard 50. The strap 55 is then placed in back of the occupants hips, holding him in a standing position, hips and knees extended and prevented from bending. In a standing position, the occupant is able to work readily at a bench or to stand at a lectern. When he desires to move to another location, he releases the strap 55 and lowers himself to a seated position in the wheelchair, whereupon he can maneuver the chair and standing bar as a unit, the latter freely moving with the chair, upon the casters 27 and 28. Upon arrival at a new location the occupant again raises himself into the standing position and secures the strap 55 about his hips. As previously mentioned, this action of the occupant in raising and lowering himself from the wheelchair to the standing bar and vice versa is of great value, providing exercise, benefitting the circulation, and having other important physiological and therapeutic advantages.

When the standing bar is detached from the wheelchair, it may be folded for storage or transportation by first detaching the wing screws 38 which secure the cross braces 35. The connecting bars 60 are then slid down the forward stanchions 30 to the base rails 20, whereupon the wing screw 52 is detached and the kneeboard swung down about the pivot 51 to a vertical position. The platform 22 is then swung upwardly to a vertical position and the standing bar may be folded sidewardly to the position shown in FIGURE 4, the notch 39 in the side edge of the platform providing clearance for the adjacent brace 35. When the standing bar is folded, the after stanchions 49 may be slid along the parallel bars 30 until they lie close to the forward stanchions.

A pair of arm supports 70, as best seen in FIG. 12, are adapted to be mounted to the present apparatus in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1. Each support 70 includes a transversely oriented, square tubular element 72 which includes a series of vertically aligned, transversely spaced openings 73 for receiving the bolt of a nut and bolt assembly 74.

As seen in FIG. 11, the bolt passes through a selected pair of the openings 73, and then through the associated grip bar 32 for securing the support 70 in a transversely adjusted position.

The outer end of each support element 70 integrally mounts a nut 76 for threadably receiving a bolt 78 which passes through transversely aligned openings in an associated vertically oriented sleeve 80 which vertically slidably receives an elongated crutch post 82. The bolt 78 passes also through a pair of a series of pairs of transverse openings in the post 82 to thereby secure the post 82 in a vertically adjusted position. This accommodates to a particular user the height of a pair of horizontal crutch members 84 which are attached to the upper ends of the crutch posts 82.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the details of construction and in the arrangement of the parts described, within the purview of the invention.

I claim:

1. A standing bar for attachment to a wheelchair, comprising:

platform means;

a pair of forward stanchions, each supported by said platform means;

5 a pair of grip bars, each supported by a forward stanchion; a pair of after stanchions, each supporting one of said grip bars;

and means for connecting at least one of said stanchions to said wheelchair, including releasable means connected to said Wheelchair.

2. The structure according to claim 1, in which each of said after stanchions is supported by the wheelchair to which the standing bar is attached.

3. The structure according to claim 2, in which each of said grip bars is pivotally mounted upon a supporting stanchion.

4. The structure according to claim 1, in which each of said grip bars is pivotally mounted upon a supporting stanchion.

5. The structure according to claim 4, in which said platform means is provided with supporting means permitting freedom of movement of said standing bar as a unit with said Wheelchair.

6. The structure according to claim 1, in which said platform means is provided with supporting means permitting movement of said standing bar as a unit with said Wheelchair.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,394,224 10/ 1921 Scott 297-6 1,972,557 9/ 1934 Greene 297-5 2,369,040 2/ 1945 Grady.

2,433,969 1/ 1948 Wood.

2,572,149 10/1951 Hind et al.

2,596,055 5/1952 Thomas 280289 2,855,979 10/ 1958 Hubbard 280-289 X 2,866,495 12/1958 Diehl et a1. 297-6 2,981,312 4/1961 Sundberg.

3,249,368 5/ 1966 Ginzberg 297-6 X KENNETH H. BETTS, Primary Examiner. 

